Injuries may occur when hands or fingers are caught in a closing door. Such closing doors can cause relatively minor pain and bruises, but may also inflict a greater damage especially when greater force is involved. Typically children and teenagers may be involved in more serious injuries. Schoolchildren playing at recesses between classes are accident prone.
US patent application US2002/000293779, the contents of which are incorporated herewith by reference, discloses a gravity actuated door safety device, which prevents injury to fingers and pet's tails. a swinging door safety device including a pair of spaced parallel bars connected to one another at one end by a crossbar. At the opposite end of each bar, a counterweight is provided. Each bar has a ring attached at a point between the first and second ends. With the rings mounted to oppositely facing door knobs such that the crossbar spans the leading edge of the door, gravity acting on the counterweight biases the device to rotate such that the bars extend outward from the leading edge and prevent closure of the door by contacting the door jamb.
US patent application US2002/157319, the contents of which are incorporated herewith by reference, discloses a mechanism for preventing injury to a person's hand when a fast-closing door slams a door frame or jamb. The mechanism includes a casing which is positioned within a hollowed out portion of the door. The casing is constructed with an opening disposed along the edge of the door panel. A metallic pendulum is housed and suspended within the casing such that the action of centrifugal force imparted by a fast-closing door will cause the pendulum to swing outwardly through the opening. A raised metal body is attached to the side molding of the door jamb and functions to engage the outwardly swung pendulum to prevent the door from completely closing.